FM26: Advanced Access Beta - 2035

I've hit the holiday button and let the game run for ten years. By the time I returned in 2035, football had changed completely. New dynasties had formed, superstars had faded, and a new generation of wonderkids had taken over the world stage. Or not…

Here’s what Football Manager 26 predicts for the next decade:

🏆 Club National Championships

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League

• England remained as competitive as ever.
• Manchester City dominated the early years, winning five titles in six seasons before the balance started to shift.
• Liverpool and Arsenal both had strong spells in the early 2030s
• By 2035 Tottenham produced the biggest shock by winning the league.
• Newcastle became a regular top-four team, while Manchester United struggled to keep pace with the leading pack.

Summary: City’s early dynasty eventually gave way to a more open title race, with four or five clubs capable of winning by the end of the decade.

🇪🇸 La Liga

• In Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona continued their long-running battle at the top.
• Real Madrid came out on top overall, winning six titles in ten seasons, while Barcelona claimed the rest.
• Atlético Madrid stayed competitive but could not break into the top two.
• Athletic Club and Real Sociedad occasionally challenged for third place, adding variety to the title picture.

Summary: Another decade of dominance for the big two, though FM26’s simulation allowed other sides to stay close enough to make it interesting.

🇮🇹 Serie A

• Italian football was dominated by Inter and Juventus, who shared most of the titles between them.
• Napoli had a short but impressive run in the mid-2020s before falling away.
• Roma and Milan were regular top-four sides but never consistent enough to mount a serious title challenge.

Summary: Inter proved the most consistent side, while Juventus always found a way to stay in contention.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga

• Germany offered few surprises.
• Bayern Munich won every title from 2021 to 2035 except one, continuing their stranglehold on the Bundesliga.
• Borussia Dortmund were regular runners-up, while RB Leipzig, Leverkusen and Stuttgart often fought for third place.

Summary: Bayern’s dominance remains unshaken, with the rest of the league left chasing shadows.

🇫🇷 Ligue 1

• Paris Saint-Germain were untouchable once again.
• They won every single Ligue 1 title over the ten-year period, with Marseille the most consistent challenger. Monaco, Lille and Lyon often completed the European qualification spots.

Summary: PSG perfection, ten titles out of ten.

🇵🇹 Liga Portugal

• Portugal delivered one of the most competitive stories of the simulation.
• Benfica and Porto traded titles throughout the decade, with Sporting CP winning a few early on before fading. Braga became a regular top-four side, and Alverca’s brief appearance near the top in the early 2030s stood out as a real underdog success story (Vinicius Jr. is one of the investors).

Summary: A lively mix of competition, with Benfica and Porto leading the way but plenty of movement just below them.

🌍 Club Continental Competitions

UEFA Champions League

• The Champions League remained the stage for Europe’s heavyweights.
• Barcelona and Real Madrid continued their rivalry, sharing most of the titles through the decade.
• PSG finally broke through again, while Manchester City added two more wins to their modern legacy.
• Arsenal enjoyed a memorable period, lifting back-to-back titles in 2027 and 2028. The biggest shock came in 2031 when Newcastle United won the competition, beating Barcelona in the final.

Summary: The competition stayed elite at the top, but the door was slightly more open than usual for ambitious clubs to break through.

UEFA Europa League

• The Europa League produced far more variety, with winners coming from several different countries.
• Inter won the most recent edition in 2035, while clubs like Spurs, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Lille also took home the trophy. Germany and Spain remained well represented thanks to Borussia Dortmund, Real Sociedad and Athletic Club all winning across the decade.
• Manchester United were the story of near misses, reaching multiple finals but failing to win.

Summary: A balanced competition, with no single club or league dominating the tournament.

UEFA Conference League

• The Conference League provided some of the best underdog stories of the decade.
• Lyon became the competition’s specialists, lifting the trophy three times. Girona capped off the simulation with a famous win in 2035, while Feyenoord, Villarreal and Celtic also enjoyed their moments.
• English clubs remained involved too, with Manchester United and West Ham both appearing in finals. 

Summary: The Conference League delivered consistent unpredictability and gave mid-tier European sides a realistic route to continental silverware.

🌐 FIFA Club World Cup

• Real Madrid and Manchester City claimed the world titles.

Summary: European powerhouses continue to rule globally even after ten simulated seasons.

🌍 International Competitions

FIFA World Cup

• The World Cup results brought some unexpected twists.
• France opened the decade by winning the 2026 tournament hosted across North America, beating Portugal in the final. Four years later, Germany captured the 2030 World Cup in Spain, overcoming Brazil to claim their fifth title.
• The biggest shock came in 2034 when Türkiye won the competition in China, defeating Germany in the final. Denmark finished third, showing how far the tournament’s balance has shifted.

Summary: Germany maintained their consistency but Türkiye’s 2034 triumph was the standout story of the decade.

UEFA Euro Championship

• The Euros remained a battle between Europe’s biggest nations.
• Spain won the expanded 2028 edition that took place across multiple host countries, defeating Italy in the final. Four years later, Germany went one better by lifting the 2032 trophy in Spain, beating England in a close contest.

Summary: Spain and Germany split the decade’s honours, with both showcasing strong generations of talent.

🏅 Individual Awards

The individual awards from ten simulated seasons highlight a clear shift in football’s balance of power. The traditional European dominance faded, and by the 2030s, South America had firmly taken control of the global stage.

Ballon d’Or

• Palmeiras and Flamengo became the new powerhouses, producing multiple winners. Carlos Augusto claimed back-to-back Ballon d’Ors in 2030 and 2031, while Facundo Torres and Samuel Lino added their names to the list.
• Elliot Anderson briefly broke the streak in 2028 with Manchester City, before the trophy returned to Brazil through Miguel Monsalve.

Summary: A complete shift in global football. The Ballon d’Or moved away from Europe, with South America producing the world’s best players once again.

Yashin Trophy

• The goalkeeper award also reflected football’s wider transformation. Sergio Rochet won back-to-back trophies with Internacional, followed by three consecutive titles for Cruzeiro’s Oufa Shobeir.
• Amanallah Memmiche then matched that consistency with Internacional, before Franco Israel of São Paulo closed out the decade as the best in the world.

Summary: South American goalkeepers became the benchmark, with Brazil and Uruguay producing the most decorated stoppers of the decade.